112 STAT. 478 PUBLIC LAW 105-178-^rUNE 9, 1998 (2) excavation that is performed without prior notification to an underground facility operator or with inaccurate or untimely marking of such a facility prior to excavation can cause damage that results in fatalities, serious injuries, harm to the environment and disruption of vital services to the public; and (3) protection of the public and the environment from the consequences of underground facility damage caused by excavations will be enhanced by a coordinated national effort to improve one-call notification programs in each State and the effectiveness and efficiency of one-call notification systems that operate under such programs. SEC. 7302. ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PROGRAMS. (a) IN GENERAL. —Subtitle III of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "CHAPTER 61—ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PROGRAMS "Sec. "6101. Purposes. "6102. Defwiitions. "6103. Minimum standards for State one-call notification programs. "6104. Compliance with minimum standards. "6105. Review of one-call system best practices. "6106. Grants to States. "6107. Authorization of appropriations. "6108. Relationship to State laws. "§6101. Purposes 'Thepurposesof this chapter are— "(1) to enhance public safety; "(2) to protect the environment; "(3) to minimize risks to excavators; and "(4) to prevent disruption of vital public services, by reducing the incidence of damage to underground facilities during excavation through the voluntary adoption and efficient implementation by all States of State one-call notification programs that meet the minimum standards set forth under section 6103. §6102. Definitions "In this chapter, the following definitions apply: "(1) ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION SYSTEM.— The term 'one-call notification system' means a system operated by an organization that has as 1 of its purposes to receive notification from excavators of intended excavation in a specified area in order to disseminate such notification to underground facility operators that are members of the system so that such operators can locate and mark their facilities in order to prevent damage to underground facilities in the course of such excavation. "(2) STATE ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PROGRAM.— The term 'State one-call notification program' means the State statutes, regulations, orders, judicial decisions, and other elements of law and policy in effect in a State that establish the requirements for the operation of one-call notification systems in such State. "(3) STATE. —The term 'State' means a State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. "(4) SECRETARY. — The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of Transportation.
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